A capstan is a revolving wooden or steel"VERTICAL SPINDLE"mounted on a drum that is rotated manually,
or driven by steam or electric power.Sailor's used capstans as pulleys to move
very heavy equipmenton or about their vessels, with rope , chain,
or cable.Sailors would place long wood or steel poles
in the top holes andwalk clock or counter clockwise, as rope ,
chain or cable coiledaround the center of the unit creating great
leverage, for pulling or lifting.The one shown above is a genuine"ANTIQUE""MANUAL OR CRANK CAPSTAN"

Made by the famous"AMERICAN SHIP WNDLASS COMPANY"Founded byCOL. JOE MANTONinPROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, U.S.A.The cap of the capstan is made of cast iron
and is verydetailed, depicting an anchor at the center,
with a floraldesign around it, with the word"HOPE"Patented November 12th 1889The base is marked:THE MARINE CAPSTAN #Bwhich relates to the model as follows:Barrel Diameter, 8 1/2" , Base Diameter 24
1/2", Height 31"Weight 600 PoundsA WELCOME PART OF THE GREAT SOUTH BAY COLLECTION!!!The "AMERICAN SHIP WINDLASS COMPANY"was not a ship line, but a designer, and manufacturer,
ofCapstans, Windlasses, and other heavy
ship rigging equipment.Established in 1857, in Providence, Rhode
Island, the company becamevery famous for their extremely well designed,
and crafted,Capstans & Windlasses.They won many trade awards for there craft,
some of which came from the following:

In addition to making an excellent product,
they detailed the caps oftheir equipment with their company name, and
patent dates, as well as othership markings as per the request of the ship
owners.

One of the most famous ships they created a
special windlass forwas the yacht "METEOR" for the Emperor of
Germany.Great care was taken to create the unit, as
well as adding a highlypolished finish to the unit with the markings:

There were many other famous ships on there
customer list, includinga special built capstan/windlass system for"THE UNITED STATES NAVY"during and after the Civil War.

In 1910 they moved to Philadelphia, PA to continue
their capstan andwindlass designs.In 1911 the company changed their name toAMERICAN ENGINEERING CO.The company supplied steering gears, windlasses,
and many other marine productsuntil it was purchased and merged around 1959/60
into the marine division of C H WHEELER CO., whowas also based in Philadelphia. Eventually
C H Wheeler was broken up and sold to various companies.The marine group was purchased by BALDWIN-LIMA-HAMILTON
around 1963 and was moved to theirplant at Eddystone, Pa.Both the American Engineering, and C H Wheeler
names were retained.In 1964 the marine products of Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton
were purchased by JERED INDUSTRIES,and moved to Birmingham, MI, the names were
retained and added to the Jered nameplate.In 1980 Jered Industries was bought by VICKERS,
LTD of the United Kingdom and was foldedinto their marine division and renamed JERED
BROWN BROS.In 1992 the plant in Michigan became landlocked
with the urban growth surrounding it.Restrictions to the size of the equipment
that could be shipped from the plant limitedits growth and the plant was shut down and
moved to Brunswick, GA which affordedbarge, rail , and highway access.In 1996 Jered Brown Bros was sold to a private
venture capitalist and its name was returnedto the original Jered Industries.They are still located in Brunswick, Ga, and
still supply quality marine equipment whichthey manufacture on site.All through these years the intellectual rights
and drawings of American Engineeringwere used to supply repair parts to both commercial
ships and the U.S. Navy.Age has finally claimed the ships that had
the original American Engineering Equipment, and it isdoubtful if there are many calls for their
parts anymore.

Many thanks to theProvidence Public Library, Providence, R.I.
for assisting uswith the historic information on this company.The information was found in the following
publications:The Providence Board of Trade Journal, 1902
& 1910, andThe Illustrated Catalogue of The American
Ship Windlass Co,published October 15th, 1890

ALSO I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWINGFOR THEIR HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR
SITE